Life is a Joke
by SilentSepharim
Summary: Saskue was more affected by the slaughter of his clan than was seen, he now views life as a joke, with death as the punchline!


_**My foolish brother… If you want to kill me… curse me! Hate me! And live a long and unsightly life… Run away… run away… and cling to your pitiful life."**_

Itachi views the burning wreckage of the Uchiha estate, fire casting a red glow into the air and the crackle from the flames a backdrop to the crying boy that Itachi watches. The mounds of bodies, missing limbs and possessing gaping wounds rest immobile, a stark contrast to the flickering flames. Saskue's whimpers echo through the desecrated grounds, the boys shudders casting shadows onto the ground, Itachi stares at the broken boy a hint of sadness in his eyes that is swiftly eclipsed by pride, for who else could slay their entire clan? As Itachi gazes across the devastation his thoughts turn to the sole survivor of the massacre, the only Uchiha loyal to Konoha. Saskue's continued whimpers show he is alive, the otherwise motionless body simply lying motionless. Staring at the fallen boy Itachi turns around and walks away from the estate, needing to leave swiftly to avoid the attention of the ANBU. As he leaves he stares one last time at the face of his brother, broken and crying with black eyes, Itachi leaves Konoha as the first of the ANBU arrive.

"Look at that eagle-san. A survivor."

A tiger masked ANBU agent speaks to his partner as he observes the carnage around, the corpses smouldering in the fire that rages through the Uchiha estate. Several ANBU agents are preforming water ninjutsu to extinguish the fires, storms and waves erupting from the sky and from mouths, dousing flames swiftly. The hiss of steam rises into the night sky, a heavy bank of steam covering the estate, an ethereal backdrop for the hellish visage it now carries. The Tiger ANBU looks once again at the survivor and after a moment recognizes him, Saskue Uchiha. The younger brother of the prodigious Itachi Uchiha and current sole surviving Uchiha.

"It would seem you are right Tiger-san, we should ask him about what happened here."

The Eagle ANBU kneels before Saskue, her motions slow and gentle to avoid startling the evidently traumatized boy. As she reaches eye level with the boy Saskue looks into her eyes, his blank gaze showing nothing. The Eagle ANBU grasps Saskue's hand and lifts him to his feet before beginning to speak.

"Saskue-san, can you tell me what happened here? Who did this?"

Saskue stares at the ANBU, his eyes blank and empty. A slight twitch of his lips shows his attempt to speak, the ANBU watches closely as Saskue opens his mouth properly and speaks quietly.

"Itachi…. Itachi did this. Why did he do this? Why did he kill Kaa-san and Tou-san?"

The Eagle and Tiger ANBU curse quietly at Itachi's name, the most skilled Uchiha since Madara Uchiha has turned traitor and slaughtered his clan. The air presses heavily down on the ANBU as they listen to Saskue's rambling.

"Itachi wouldn't have killed them, it must be a mistake. A joke. It's all a big joke. Everyone is alive and now they are playing dead as a joke."

The ANBU frown at the words that come from Saskue, the delusion that he is displaying is not going to help him accept the deaths of his family. The two ANBU place arms around the distraught boy and shunshin towards the Konoha hospital, rough assassins hands carrying the frail boy with unusual gentleness. Their arrival sparks a flurry of movement as nurses and medic-nins run towards the trio, the Uchiha is quickly taken away from the ANBU and escorted to a private room, nurses preparing a strong sedative to help the boy sleep. They murmur amongst themselves about how much of a tragedy this night is, how they feel for the poor orphan. As they insert the needle containing the sedative the nurses on duty hear his last words before slumber.

"Life is just a big joke, death must be the punchline."

Thank you all for taking the time to read this, this was a collaboration with my close friend CreationsAngel_VII. As this is my first Fic posted any and all reviews would be appreciated.

Saskue is more affected by the death of his family than realised, he now thinks that life is a comedy, and death is the puchline


End file.
